A 13-year-old girl has been stabbed at school with scissors by a fellow student because of the colour of her hair.
Year nine pupil Daisy Andrew suffered two 15mm-deep puncture wounds to the back of her leg during the “terrifying” break-time attack.
Her furious father Robin Andrew said a boy was making fun of Daisy’s red hair while she was with a group of friends at Homewood School in Tenterden, Kent, on 24 January.
Mr Andrew, 43, said: “She told him to go away because she doesn’t usually let stuff like that bother her.
“She turned around and thought he had gone away, but then he produced half a pair of scissors and said ‘look I’ve got this shank here!’ and stuck it in the back of her leg twice.
“Blood was all down her tights and filled up her shoe. She needs new shoes because we can’t clean them out.”
The teenager was seen by the school nurse before she was taken to A&E at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent.
Mr Andrew, who is the managing director of a facility and buildings engineering company, added: “This was an unprovoked attack on her because of the colour of her hair.
“I think in the back of her mind now next time someone makes a remark like that is that what she is to expect?”
Police were alerted, but the parents of other students said they only found out about the “awful” event when their children called them while “crying” in the toilets.
Alarming pictures show how blood was left splattered across a wall at the academy.
The school immediately informed Daisy’s mum about the incident.
Mr Andrew, of Woodchurch, Kent, went to the school and called the police. The school said they had also alerted officers.
Mr Andrew said: “My other half took her to hospital - they stuck the holes back together and plastered her up.
“I can’t make sense of it because you don’t expect it to happen at a countryside school.
“It’s not the school’s fault this has happened, but I hope appropriate action is taken. She should be able to go to school and feel safe.”
Daisy has been left walking with a slight limp and has been told to expect some bruising.
A spokesperson for the school said: “Without seeking to minimise the impact on the victim, the incident has been exaggerated on social media.
“A minor injury was caused to the leg of a female pupil by a boy using a pair of small scissors.
“The school nurse dealt with the cut initially but, as a precaution, the girl went to A&E where the injury was examined and appropriate care and attention were provided.
“The police were informed, but did not attend the school.”
The spokesperson said the boy’s actions were “clearly unacceptable” and school bosses were making further inquiries about the circumstances before taking any disciplinary action.
They added: “Both sets of parents have been supportive of the school’s actions and the girl has expressed a wish to return to school as soon as possible.”
Police confirmed they were contacted at 11.40am on Tuesday following a report that a child had been injured at a school in Tenterden.
Officers are liaising with the school to establish the cause of the injury and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
With more than 2,000 pupils, Homewood is the biggest school in Kent.
In 2019, it was downgraded to “requires improvement” by Ofsted.
The school had previously been consistently rated “good” by the education watchdog.
